Home » Media Centre » Blogs » Inadequate citizen involvement in debt decisions and how they affect our lives
In Kenya’s governance, it’s easy to pay attention to what is loud - protests in the streets, heated Twitter spaces, breaking news alerts, and dramatic political showdowns. What about decisions made in silence? What about those quiet moments in Parliament where public borrowing is approved in under an hour, or when crucial legislation is passed with little fanfare? These decisions, while silent, bear loud and lasting implications on our lives.
Let us consider the issue of public debt which has turned out to be a thorn in our toe. A topic which has never been a subject for public participation in Parliament even after the establishment of the Public Debt and Privatization Committee in the National Assembly (13th Parliament). Kenya’s public debt now stands at Ksh11.02 trillion, about 63% of GDP. Further, in the 2025/26 fiscal year, over 60% of all government revenue will be spent on debt repayment.
What does this mean for Kenyans? It means less money for hospitals, schools, youth programs, and vital public services that are oriented to the welfare of citizens, yet many of the decisions that lock the country into this financial trajectory are made with minimal or no debate and even less public input. The budget may be ballooning but in most cases the ballooning doesn’t correlate with the growth in allocation to the key sectors such as education and health.
A quick analysis of the 2024/2025 budget for instance shows that education received approximately 27%, health received approximately 3.2% while debt repayment had an allocation of approximately 48%. This illustrates the crowding-out effect, where the government’s fiscal space is limited by the obligation to service debt. As a result, less funding is available for crucial public services. No wonder, there is a sudden need to cut off university subsidies and increase fees, increase social health contributions, delayed capitation in basic education and the list goes on and on.
Take for instance the recent announcement that free education for secondary and public universities will be slashed. This is not an isolated austerity measure, it is part of a broader consequence of an unsustainable debt. The link between rising debt and poor service delivery is no longer theoretical, it is playing out in real time.
While Parliament is constitutionally mandated to approve public borrowing, a closer look at the Hansard reveals that often, detailed loan agreements are tabled after commitments have already been made. In some cases, they are merely “noted” without robust scrutiny. This norm of using Parliament as a mere conveyor belt has led to continuous calls for a more transparent, accountable and participatory debt management process. One of the initiatives that the Parliament of Kenya is part of is the Open Government Partnership initiative which has called for fiscal openness under a commitment in Kenya's National Action Plan V. The fiscal openness commitment when implemented will ensure Parliament is at the center (ideally as it should) of debt acquisition, use and repayment. On this, Parliament will ensure that before a loan is taken it has ascertained on its use and involved the people through public participation, follow up on its use through the audits and from the word go ensured the debt is invested where in the long run it will give returns.
Historically, this erosion of checks and balances did not happen overnight. In the 12th Parliament, there was a statutory debt ceiling of Ksh 9 trillion —an attempt to place some limits on how much Kenya could borrow. However, this ceiling was later adjusted through legislative amendments to Ksh 10 Trillion. Later the 13th Parliament amended the ceiling further to anchor the debt as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), anchoring the changes in Section 50 of the PFM Act, 2012 paving the way for even more borrowing. This change became law through the Public Finance Management (Amendment) Act No. 12 of 2023. This moment marked a shift from cautious stewardship to unchecked accumulation of debt. Even in such an amendment there wasn’t civic education and robust public participation like has been the case in other laws where there is vested political interests.
So, we must ask: Why does the government keep borrowing yet the benefits are not visible in terms of tangible development or a reduced cost of living? Can we confidently say this is debt we can account for? Busia County Senator, Okiya Omtatah and other accountability champions have consistently questioned the legality and utility of some of these loans, terming them “odious debt” borrowings that serve no public interest and are riddled with opacity.
This silence has consequences that go beyond the macroeconomic level. Mzalendo Trust’s ongoing research into the gendered and generational implications of public debt reveals the invisible burden on women and youth. When loan repayments take center-stage, budgets for maternal health, youth employment programs, and community development initiatives disappear. Small businesses, many run by young people and women, are left to shoulder rising taxes and compliance costs, without the cushion of public support.
Taking these factors into account, and the current civic awareness, it has been revealed that Kenyans, especially the youth, are not apathetic. They are demanding a seat at the table. But to meet them at that table, we must move beyond tick-box public participation.
That means:
It’s also time to strengthen Parliamentary oversight on debt. The establishment of the Public Debt and Privatization Committee in the current Parliament is a step in the right direction but more must be done to ensure their recommendations are acted upon, not shelved. While President Ruto’s proposed taskforce on debt was suspended by the courts, the underlying demand for transparency remains. Kenyans deserve to know the true extent and terms of our debt obligations. Trust is not built in silence. It is earned through transparency, dialogue, and shared decision-making.
Categories: inclusion openness public debt debt transparency
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